Improvement in water-wheels



@uiten faire @anni ffice.

HENRY I. BRADBURY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

Letters Patent No. 60,S54,dateol January 1, 1867.

IMPBOVIMENT'- IN WATER-WHEELS'.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HENRY I. BRADBUnY,of Springfield, in the county of Clark, and State of Ohio, have Iinvented a new and useful Improvement in Water-Wheels; and Ido hereby declare the following .to be a full,

"clear, and exact' description of the same, referencebeing had 4to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa vertical cross-section of my wheel and its case.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section ofthe same.l

Figure 3 is a diagram of the upper lset of buckets.

Figure 4 is a diagram ofthe lower set of buckets.

Figure 5is a diagram of the innerset of buckets.

Figure 6, a plan of top of case, showingthemechanism for opening and -closing the gates.

Myinvention relates `to that class of water-wheels 'known as Turbine, andit consists, first, in the manner of constructing and arranging the buckets or ,'iioats of the wheel so as to secure'a much larger per cent. of powerV from the water passing through the wheel than has hitherto been attained; second, in the manner of constructing the case and gates by which the water is admitted and directed to the wheel.; third, in the manner of operating the said gates. I

That others may understand the construction and operation of myv improved wheel, I will particularly describe it.

A is`thecrown plate of the wheel; on its underside it is nearlytlat at the outer edge,.but inclines downward slightly, and gradually curves downward more and more until it assumesa perpendicular outline as it reaches the central hub- B. The buckets C, lying directly below, and attached to the outer part of the crown plate A, are known as ogee in form, (see iig. They stand vertical, andlextcnd from the outer edge of the wheel inward about half the distance from the outer edge tothe surface of the hub B. The lower edges of the buckets C rest upon the partition plate D, which, commencing at the outer edge of the wheel, extends inward, curving downward, until it assumes a perpendicular position about midway between the outer edge of the wheel and the surface of the hub B. The forms of the crown plate A and partition D, in'4 section, upon a vertical plane, cutting through the centre of the wheel, are clearly shown in iig. 1. Beneath the horizontal portionof the partition D, and outside of its vertical portion, are the buckets E,'the form of which is clearly shown in tig. 4'. The outer edges of the bucketE are perpendicular tothe outer edge of the partition D. Situated between the vertical portion of partition D and the hub B, are the buckets F. They are nearly straight on the face, and are curved slightly at each end,.as shown in hg. 5. K

Thus,.it will lbe perceived, there are three distinct and separate sets of buckets to my wheel, each having its own oiice, but each adding its quota to the power of the Whole. At the rst impact the water is divided by the partition D, and a portion of it passes horizontally into the wheel, while another portion is immediately deflected downward, and acts lvertically upon the buckets, escaping at the bottom of the wheel. That portion which passes in horizontally, and acts in that direction upon the ogee buckets C, soon reaches the central chamber 0r space G, without being exhausted, because its head hasnot been reduced by its passage through the buckets C. It has Vstill as far to descend, before escaping iinally from the wheel, as when it passed through the gates. It follows, then, that having still some power left, a greater or less portion may be utilized by permitting the water in the space or chamber G to act upon the inclined surfaces of the buckets F. These buckets are set with a more gradual inclination than the buckets E', because, the water which is to act upon them has lost some of its velocityin passing through the bucketsC, and therefore 'requires a longer time in which to'act during the remainder of its passage through the wheel. As the water ent'ers the chamber-1G, the direction of its motion is to be changed from horizontal to vertical. Its speciiic gravity would accomplish this alone, were there space and time, but here it requires aid. The crown ,plate A curves downward to formgthe hubv B, and deiiects the stream in the proper manner. It is of great importance that this dcection should take place within a chamber, because the direction of a rapidly moving stream of watercannot be so changed withoutviolent commotion an'd reaction, and if the buckets C were simply extended and curved so as-to meet the buckets F, the'streams of water would then be forced to change their course while confined in narrow spacesfthe reaction and friction duc tothe resistance to deflections would be received upon the surfaces of the buckets, .and would tend to neutralize,

to some extent, the direct action of lthe Water upon other parts of thb Wheel. i Whenthis deflection is accomplished in the annular chamber, Gr, tlixese reactionsand the consequent friction are received upon the atoms of the Water itself, and have no other effect than possibly to absorb a portion of the velocity of the water, leaving the motion-of the Wheelun'intluenced. The Wheel is set-:upon the-shaft H, and is stepped upon the centre of the'bridge I in any suitable manner. The ends of the bridge arms I- are secured to the lowrlpart of thel Wheel case in any suitable manner. Thepwheel case J is composed of a cover, K, a bottom rim Land the posts. M, which also serve as shoots to direct Jthe Water upon the AWheel. At the centre of the cover K is the stiff stand pipe N, having the hushed box O at its upper cud. The shaft H passes upward through the-stand pipe and has a bearing at k0 so that the Wheel is, at all times, dependent upon its oase `for the truth of its position,cand willl be unal'ected by any variation of the 'Humo or other bearings ofthe shaft, The rim-'or iiangerL, has dependent from' it a cylindrical band, P, towhich the bridge I is attached. The 'posts M, which connect the cover K .and rim L, occupy about the space of the distance between two contiguous buckets, and the space left betiveen them is about the same. The horizontal section of one of the posts, M, presents a lozenge figure, the longer side being slightly convex on one side and concave on the other, so as to conform to the curve of the outer edge of the wheel. The inclined sides or edges of the posts Mv form permanentY shoots to, direct the water upon the Wheel in the mostadvantageous manner, a feature Which could not exist if the balance gates were employed to direct 'the water, because the direction would then constantly vary with the extent to which the gates are opened, and the Water would be thrown upon one portion of" the bucket or ano'ther,"acco1d1ng to the amount to be admitted. This would be a defect manifestly, because there must be one certain angle of incidence which will be most advantageous. The balanced gates, R, are placed upon verticahaxes, in the spaces betvveen the posts M. When they open water is admitted at each edge and ypasses along the inclined edge of the shoot or post, M, upon the buckets of the Wheel, and the direction of the motion ofthe Water is notA ali'ectcd by the position of the gate. The upper end of the axis of the gate passes upward through the cover K, audis provideJd there with a segment gear, S. The ring, T, has cogs cut' in its outer edge which gear withthe segments S'. To open or close the gate a lever is applied, Iin any convenient way, to any one of the segment gears, S, and through that andA the, ring T, all the other gates are equally inuenced. My vvheel may beplaced anywhere bettveen the top and bottom of the ilume, equally good effects being obtained in one case as the other.

Its operation having been fully described, with the description of its construction, xvhatl ciann as new, and desire to secure by-Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the' three sets of bucketshC, E, F, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 2. The horizontal buckets C, in combination with the vertical buckets F, and the annular chamber G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. y

l3. In combinationwith a wheel receiving its Water horizontally, the post M, and balanced gates R, operated by the vsegment S, and geared ring T, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

l HENRY P. BRADBURY.

Witnesses:

H. S. SHOWERS, GEO. MOWER.. 

